Beauty on a budget

My love affair with Quezon City continues…

Would you believe there is still such a thing as a P39.95 haircut, shampoo included, and an extra P70 for blow-dry?

The F salon branch I visited is a roomy and fully air-conditioned place that is clean, fully staffed, with a huge selection of reasonably priced treatments.

People looked decent, walking out with just a haircut, but to be honest, I did not have the courage to try the haircut. But I succumbed to their other treatments instead. The results were a pleasant surprise.

Hair: My dry strands and frayed ends are always in need of some treatment to keep my hair glossy and smooth. Resident trainer Gene assessed my hair and suggested the Chocovita Nourishing treatment to restore softness, reflective shine and smooth, polished finish.

You will be given a choice of scents to choose from: coffee, vanilla and chocolate—and I guarantee whatever you pick your hair will smell like after a week of daily washing. These types of smoothening treatments only last a week for most, and they cost only between P399-P1,099 (depending on length) my five inches past shoulder length hair was quoted at P799 will add up if done four times a month.

To preserve the effects for at least three weeks more, they sealed it with Lamina, a shine and protection treatment that seals in each and every hair strand and preserves the smoothness and shine much like a plastic laminate protects one’s ID card from getting damaged. Cost was an extra P300 for my long hair.

Result: The blades become straight, smooth and shiny, as in shampoo commercials. The effect lasts a good month.

Something new

Ear spa, aka ear candling, is something one should try.

Cotton swabs and ear picks can only reach so far without being hazardous; they may even cause wax and dirt to get packed into the inner ear.

Ear spa is totally painless and acts as a vacuum to loosen and suck up deeply dislodged ear wax and dirt. Afterwards your hearing becomes so much better and headaches that are caused by ear congestion just goes away.

But it is not recommended to be done too often as we need the wax for protection against germs. Every three months is sufficient for those who clean their ears regularly.

Also recommended: Foot Spa Deluxe with Whitening, P300, and pedicure, P60, really does visible whiten your calves and feet by about two tones when all that dead skin is scrubbed off. Best for those with dark toes (that is, darker when compared to feet) because it really evens color out. Of course the softer, smoother and prettier feet as expected with most foot spa are also present.

The Quezon City beauty place is also known for eyeliner and eyebrow tattoo as well.

Why the very reasonable prices? Because they make their own products which are mostly organic, so they save a lot on cost. The owner even formulated a rebonding solution that is safe for children; she has been using it on her own 8-year-old kid with very curly hair.

But I have to mention that the place may not suit “beauty snobs” who expect the posh ambience or flashy interior of a Hong Kong, Japan, Beverly Hills or London type of salon who only want prestige brands touching their hair skin and nails. This is also not close to any high-end malls.

F Salon German Cultural center, Aurora Boulevard and Gilmore Street, Quezon City; tel. 416-8228. Visit www.fsalon.ph for prices, list of services and branches.

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